


The Last Time

by scumbagdarcy



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Implied Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-02
Updated: 2020-07-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 05:41:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,192
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25029451
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scumbagdarcy/pseuds/scumbagdarcy
Summary: Charles is moving the Wapiti; Ruby’s moonshine business is flourishing. She makes the choice to stay in Lemoyne. Charles continues on with the Wapiti.Angst. Implied recent sexual activity.
Relationships: Charles Smith (Red Dead Redemption)/Original Character(s), Charles Smith (Red Dead Redemption)/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 7





	The Last Time

Ruby kicks Bones to a run as she rides through the humid air of Bluewater Marsh towards Van Horn, grateful for the breeze on her face, the dark clouds overhead threatening rain. Bones snorts in protest as he breathes in the thick air, but obeys nevertheless. Ruby’s stomach is twisted into a giant knot as she hears the words from Charles’ letter in his deep voice in her mind. _Our usual room. 4pm, 25th of this month. Wait for me._

It had been weeks since Ruby had heard from him, let alone seen him. She’d read in the newspaper the events from the Saint Denis bank robbery, read about the capture of John Marston and deaths of Hosea and Lenny. Her heart throbbed as she saw Lenny’s infectious smile in her mind, Hosea’s kind eyes that never seemed to miss a thing, even when he had them buried in a book. The paper also stated that a large reward was on offer for information on the whereabouts of Dutch Van Der Linde, Arthur Morgan, Bill Williamson, Micah Bell, Javier Escuella and another man unknown by name but only given a short description matching exactly that of Charles’.

When she had received his letter three days earlier, her heart had fluttered and she’d almost collapsed with relief as she’d opened the paper to see his familiar handwriting. So he was alive. Ruby had wanted to run to Van Horn then and there.

Drops of rain hit her face as she pulls Bones to a trot, passing the old lighthouse that greets her as she enters the tiny, dirty town. Her eyes lift ahead to the building at the end of the road where the post office sits under the room they’ve made love in many times before. From this distance, Ruby can just make out the figure leaning against the railing on the upstairs balcony, the grey snow-capped spotted Appaloosa hitched at the post against the building below. She trots slowly through the grubby town, knowing Charles is watching her without having to look at him.

Ruby hitches Bones next to Taima, greeting the Appaloosa with an apple and a pat on her neck. Taima nuzzles her gratefully before nipping Bones affectionately with a snort. Normally not so tolerant to other horses, Ruby chuckles as her Norfolk Roadster snorts back with annoyance but allows the other horse to greet him. She gives Bones a sugar cube before heading for the wooden staircase. Ruby takes the stairs slowly, her legs feeling like lead. Her breath hitches in her throat as she finally lays her eyes on him.

Charles’ hair is different; normally flowing freely down his back, feather entwined in the end, it now snakes its way down his back, shaved at the sides of his head. Coupled with the hard expression on his face, he looks mean. His features seem to have aged since the time Ruby had last seen him, yet somehow he looks more beautiful than ever. His eyes soften as he takes her in, but his mouth remains firm.  
For a long moment, they stare at each other. So many questions flood Ruby’s mind – Where have you been? Why haven’t you written? Are you okay? What happened in Saint Denis? All at once, every burning question overwhelms her and she lets out a choked sob – unaware that tears had even filled her eyes – and closes the distance to Charles where she falls into him, his strong arms catching her and holding her to his broad chest.

“Hey..” he soothes, holding her tight. “I’m here now. I’m with you. Come on,” he holds her out a little so he can look down at her face. “Let’s head inside. I need you so bad right now.” He pushes the door open to the small room, lifting her up in his strong arms and carrying her through the doorway, kicking the door shut behind him and placing her down on the bed.  
\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ruby watches Charles pull his boots on as she sits in bed smoking a cigarette. He sighs as he sits back down, the bed groaning under his weight as it had done only moments earlier, the metal bed head knocking against the wooden wall under the rhythm of their bodies moving in sync together. The light from the flames in the fireplace casts a warm glow across the room, allowing Ruby to get a look at Charles’ pained expression on his face.

“Charles.” Ruby places a hand on his shoulder. “Talk to me. What is it?” She’d known something was different between them the minute she’d reached the top of the stairs outside.

He doesn’t look at her. Instead, he speaks to the wall across from him. “I’m leaving tomorrow. With the Wapiti tribe. Things went badly with their relations with the government and they need to escape, move away somewhere before there’s more retaliation and more people get hurt.” He looks at the floor, unable to look at her face.

Ruby’s mind is blank. She can’t seem to form a coherent thought. “So.. so what does this mean? What about us?” The room suddenly feels very cold, contradicting the warm fire blazing on the opposite side of the room.

“It means.. I’m leaving. I don’t have a choice, Ruby.” He says to the floor.

“Look at me, Charles.” Ruby’s words come out harsher than she meant, but it works. Charles finally turns to her, his eyes so full of pain she doesn’t know if she can bear to take it. His eyes search her face painstakingly, capturing her image to lock it away in his brain forever – she looked so beautiful, lips painted red with her winged eyeliner framing her huge hazel eyes – which were now looking at him accusingly as she sat in bed shirtless with a cigarette in her hand.

“So that’s it then? Weeks of no communication – I didn’t even know if you were alive! – to come right back just to fuck me and leave forever? That’s great, Charles. Thanks.” Her voice is laced with sarcasm as she spits out the last of her words.

Charles stands up, fully dressed. His words are desperate as he pleads with her. “Come with me. We can start over someplace new, we can actually be together! Get married, start a family!”

Ruby scoffs. “You know I can’t leave. Not now.”

Charles looks at her sadly. “And you know I can’t abandon those people.”

“What about me?” Ruby asks quietly. “You’re abandoning me.”

Charles leans forward and brushes Ruby’s hair behind her ears, stroking his fingers along her jawline as she leans into his hand. He takes her hand and places it over his heart.

“It’ll always be you, Ruby. Always.” Charles kisses her hand delicately before he walks to the door and opens it, the rain outside now hammering down.

“Your heart is too big for your own good, Charles.” Ruby says to his back. He turns his head to the side, unable to look at her, before he steps out onto the balcony and closes the door behind him, leaving her alone in the room with her broken heart.


End file.
